Why do the Season sets default to English with Japanese ost?

[Victorious]

What's worst is the horrible audio quality of the original Japanese with Japanese OST.

If you go Faulconcer + Funi English dub or even Kikuchi + Funi English dub the audio is excellent, but as soon as you select the real Japanese track the audio degenerates into rubbish. This will always be a huge scar on the original IMO.

[Kakarot88]

I was under the impression it was because the Faulconer score does not show up until season 2 of the sets and the score that funimation used for season 1 never actually aired on TV during the first run in the US as that season was done by the Ocean dub group. Consequently the season 1 set defaulted to an actual broadcast score and for consistency purposes that default just carried over for the other seasons.

[jjgp1112]

The Kikuchi score never really stood out to me when I first heard it as a kid in I want to say...2002-ish. It just sounded like old-timey orchestra stuff.

Yeah, Kikuchi's score is old-timey. That's the charm. It's kung fu movie, Lalo Schifirin-meets-John Philip Sousa-meets-Dominic Frontiere, Godzilla University Marching Band with a sprinkle of YMO. It's the essence of the seventies and eighties combined in one garish Fusion that grips the imagination.

None of that changes the fact that i didn't enjoy it and it didn't stand out to me.

I was under the impression it was because the Faulconer score does not show up until season 2 of the sets and the score that funimation used for season 1 never actually aired on TV during the first run in the US as that season was done by the Ocean dub group. Consequently the season 1 set defaulted to an actual broadcast score and for consistency purposes that default just carried over for the other seasons.

The dub on Seasons 1 and 2 is FUNimation's own dub that they did in 2003-05. It'd be completely impossible to use the Ocean dub on such a release because of the smaller episode count.

[Kakarot88]

I was under the impression it was because the Faulconer score does not show up until season 2 of the sets and the score that funimation used for season 1 never actually aired on TV during the first run in the US as that season was done by the Ocean dub group. Consequently the season 1 set defaulted to an actual broadcast score and for consistency purposes that default just carried over for the other seasons.

The dub on Seasons 1 and 2 is FUNimation's own dub that they did in 2003-05. It'd be completely impossible to use the Ocean dub on such a release because of the smaller episode count.

Right, how is that different from what I said? Well actually, in season 2 when the Funimation cast did take over it is pretty much the same dialogue tracks for everyone but Sabat for the most part. Sabat did go back in and use his later Veget voice so there is no longer the transition away from Drummond's pscho evil

[jjgp1112]

You said that Season 1 on the set was done by the Ocean dub, but it wasn't.

[Kakarot88]

You said that Season 1 on the set was done by the Ocean dub, but it wasn't.

That's not what I said I said they did the original US broadcast.

[helsinkirocks]

I typically watch the English w/ Japanese music, simply because I don't "watch" Dragon Ball anymore. When I put it on I'm doing something else- cooking, cleaning, studying, etc and it let's me follow the show without having to watch.

Though if I do "watch" it, and am not doing anything else, I'll put on the Japanese version.

[Rukura]

Honestly, I don't know why they WOULDN'T default it to English with the original score. Not only was it the hot new shit that they were pimping at the time, it mirrors EVERY other release that they do. It gives any new person watching it the chance to see something a little closer to how the show (at least kinda) sounds. It makes even more sense now with Kai using the original Kikuchi score, since it'll be what they knew from that broadcast.

[90sDBZ]

I fail to see any process in phasing the dub music out, though. It only wasn't on the Dragon Boxes, which were a niche release for a specific part of the fanbase. The score was the default option on the level sets, anyway.

None of FUNimation's streaming options -- their own + Hulu verisons -- had the replacement score. It was their dub exclusively with the original Kikuchi score.

That's most likely because they would have to pay Faulconer royalties for that. They're allowed to include his music on home releases such as DVD and Blu-ray but I don't think that agreement covers streaming. Also that video they posted for Youtube Geek Week with DBZs most memorable moments featured the replacement score for every single clip.

[VegettoEX]

That's most likely because they would have to pay Faulconer royalties for that. They're allowed to include his music on home releases such as DVD and Blu-ray but I don't think that agreement covers streaming.

OK, but that's still a reason. You're literally explaining why they were doing it, which is also exactly what I'm saying. You're trying to use it as an "excuse", but it's still a reason.

[Dalesy]

I don't think that a whole lot of casual fans with nostalgia for the Toonami broadcast really care too much about the musical track. When I got back into the series a few years ago, I watched a few episodes dubbed. I didn't even notice that I wasn't hearing the Falcouner score. It was only once I realized that there was an alternate score that I remembered that aspect of the American broadcast, and by that point, I was old enough to realize that it was pretty much awful.

[TheOverlyMadHatter]

Pretty much what's been said above; it wouldn't exactly be a logical move to advertise the work of an organization you're no longer associated with as the main feature of your product, despite the fact it's what the majority of your consumer-base wants. And that FUNimation has evolved from using musical replacement score. Ironically, most of the fandom probably views the 5.1 track as mere flavor, while the two other tracks are likely the ones people switch to the most.

I don't think that a whole lot of casual fans with nostalgia for the Toonami broadcast really care too much about the musical track. When I got back into the series a few years ago, I watched a few episodes dubbed. I didn't even notice that I wasn't hearing the Falcouner score. It was only once I realized that there was an alternate score that I remembered that aspect of the American broadcast, and by that point, I was old enough to realize that it was pretty much awful.

It depends on who you're referring to when you say "casual fan". For those who just enjoy the series like they would any other, sure. But for those who you see all around YouTube today, you'd be surprised by the number of comments that complain about the lack of the Faulconer score (or Disturbed, for some of the movies) on every Dub with Kikuchi video. You have to understand how with some fans DBZ just "looses its epicness" without Faulconer, not that I would agree with that, hell I can't even watch it with the constant drone in every episode. It's pretty hard to find people who are rational about there being something other than what they grew up with, too.

[B]

I would say that overzealous YouTube crowd is a minority. Sure, compared to this place, they're huge, but overall they just have more outlets to be vocal. I wouldn't call those people "casual fans."

[Bejiita]

Lol, look at this, I never thought it'd come to the day where the Kikuchi score is starting to be seen as true original score by a lot more fans. If it wasn't for Kai, a lot of the newer fans wouldn't even realise.

So what we have now is a load of new fans who have started on Kai, and have witnessed it first hand with the Kikuchi score, so when they buy the DVD, it's only right to have that score set as the default, since if it were Faulconer's, people would think 'hold on what's going on here, this ain't DB Kai music'. The good thing is that the full Kikuchi score was never used in Kai, only a few were selected, and some were misplaced and sounded out of place to those who are used to watching the original, but hey, at least it's progress.

It's funny that I get a weird nostalgia watching DBZ with the Faulconer score, since my first run through the series was with that score, back in around 2000, as soon as I switched over to the Japanese version, I couldn't go back to the dub, but like I said, whilst I get nostalgia watching DBZ at all, I get an odd sense of it when watching the dub, very faint memories, and it reminds me that DB is great in any form, since I started on the dub it's hard to knock it, but, when comparing it to the way it was done originally, it's a blinding victory for Toei, they way they presented the show is how I wish I watched it to begin with.

But! At least I can be happy the dub I watched was edited, so when I started watching it again from scratch (in Japanese), it didn't feel like a complete repeat, since the first 60 or episodes still had never been released unedited at that time, and it was a real treat to watch it in its raw format.